Illuminated hockey puck



P 1963 T. c. RICE 3,102,727

' GLOW-BOUY Filed May 11, 1962 INVENTOR.

United States Patent 3,102,727 ILLUMINATED HOCKEY PUCK Thomas C. Rice, 1906 Superior Ave., Tomah, Wis. Filed May 11, 1962, Ser. No. 193,950 6 Claims. (Cl. 273--128)v This invention relates to improvements in hockey pucks and more particularly to an illuminated hockey puck.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a hockey puck that will be illuminated in such a manner as to be visible by a television audience.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a hockey puck that will withstand severe shock and will contain its own power and light source and will also be stable in flight.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a hockey puck that will appear on a television screen as a somewhat revolving shining dot so that the television viewers will be able to track it more easily.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a hockey puck bearing the above objects in mind which is of simple construction, has a minimum number of parts, is inexpensive to manufacture and eflicient in operation.

For other objects and for a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a vertical view of a hockey puck comprising the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of FIGURE 1 shown partly broken away;

FIGURE 3 is a side view of the switch key shown removed; and

FIGURE 4 is a bottom plan view of the present invention.

Referring now more in detail to the drawing, a hockey puck made in accordance with the present invention is shown to include a circular and balanced disc 12 having a plurality of heavy circular lenses 14. The lenses 14 each have an annular flange 16 which securely locks them within the body of puck 10, and the lenses 14 are flush and symmetrical with the outer periphery of disc 12. A

polished parabolic reflector is molded centrally behind conductor 26 secured to reflector 18 at one end and to the battery case ground 28 at its other end thus provides a completed circuit. A circular and central opening 30through each side of disc 12 provides a means of inserting prongs 32 into a plurality of openings 34 in order to rotate silver oxide battery 35 which is circular in configuration. The prongs 32 are equally spaced apart and project from the end of the T-bar 36 which is a manual switch for turning on the circuit. T-bar 36 with its prongs 32 may be inserted from either side of the disc 12 into openings 34.

In operation, the disc 12 is held in one hand by the operator and in the other hand he holds the T-bar 36 having prongs 32 and he inserts prongs 32 into the openings 34 and thus with a rotating motion of approximately degrees of travel, he rotates the spring contacts 24 from within the pockets 23 and into sliding contact with spring contacts 22 which is connected to the bulb and current from the battery 35 travels through the center of bulb 20,. through each outer case, through reflector 18 and back to battery ground 28, thus forming a completed circuit. The T-bar 36 is then removed from the openings 34 and the puck is ready for use. After the game is over, the T-bar 36 having prongs 32 is inserted again into the openings 34, and the T-bar 36 is rotated in the opposite direction, thus carrying spring contact 24 away from contact 22 and into the pocket 23 which renders the circuit incomplete.

It will thus be recognized that colored lights and/or reflectors (red, blue, green, etc), and/ or lenses (red, blue, green, etc.) may be used for color television in either one solid color or in alternate colors of any combination, such as one bulb reflector or lens being red and the next one 90 degrees out of alignment from the last on the center lines of the same plane.

While various changes may be made in the detail construction, it shall be understood that such changes shall be with-in the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

WhatI claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. An illuminated hockey puck comprising, in combination, a substantially circular disc, a plurality of lenses mounted upon the periphery of said disc, a plurality of reflectors mounted within said disc behind said lenses, a plurality of electrical lamps with contacts each mounted in proximity with each of said reflectors, and a rotatable and substantially circular silver oxide battery rotatably mounted centrally within said disc having contacts notatable into and out of engagement with said lamp contacts, and a T-shaped bar with a plurality of prongs rotating said battery within said disc and controlling the engagement of said lamp and battery contacts for switching on and oh said lamps carried within said disc.

2. A combination according to claim 1, wherein a substantial-ly circular opening central of said disc frictionally and rotatably receives said battery and a substantially circular opening in both the top and bottom of said disc is provided for inserting the substantially T-shaped bar having a plurality of equally spaced apart prongs projecting from said bar being freely received within a plurality of equally spaced apart openings in said battery in alignment with said prongs.

3. A combination according to claim 2, wherein said T-bar when rotated approximately 15 degrees while in said battery rotates spring contacts on the outer periphery of said battery from within an arcuate pocket within said disc into sliding engagement with a spring contact conductor secured to the center of said bulb and the circuit is completed through said bulb, said reflector, and a conductorsecured to said reflector and to said ground of said battery.

4. A combination according to claim 3, wherein said spring contact secured to center of said bulb is substan- References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,739,419 Cleveland Mar. 27, 1956 

1. AN ILLUMINATED HOCKEY PUCK COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A SUBSTANTIALLY CIRCULAR DISC, A PLURALITY OF LENSES MOUNTED UPON THE PERIPHERY OF SAID DISC, A PLURALITY OF REFLECTORS MOUNTED WITHIN SAID DISC BEHIND SAID LENSES, A PLURALITY OF ELECTRICAL LAMPS WITH CONTACTS EACH MOUNTED IN PROXIMITY WITH EACH OF SAID REFLECTORS, AND A ROTATABLE AND SUBSTANTIALLY CIRCULAR SILVER OXIDE BATTERY ROTATABLY MOUNTED CENTRALLY WITHIN SAID DISC HAVING CONTACTS ROTATABLE INTO AND OUT OF ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID LAMP CONTACTS, AND A T-SHAPED BAR WITH A PLURALITY OF PRONGS ROTATING SAID BATTERY WITHIN SAID DISC AND CONTROLLING THE ENGAGEMENT OF SAID LAMP AND BATTERY CONTACTS FOR SWITCHING ON AND OFF SAID LAMPS CARRIED WITHIN SAID DISC. 